


Visits with the Emperor

by FractalBunny



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst and Feels, Animalism, Blood Kink, Complicated Relationships, Drama, F/F, F/M, Family, Grudges, I'll add more tags as they come, M/M, Misunderstandings, Multi, Post-Canon, Unresolved Tension
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-22
Updated: 2018-12-28
Packaged: 2019-09-24 13:32:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,070
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17101517
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FractalBunny/pseuds/FractalBunny
Summary: Something in him had changed.Even after pulling him out of the rift, Lotor seemed wrong.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So just a few things to know  
> -I hated s8  
> -This takes place in a slightly alternate universe  
> -Allurance never happened  
> -Lotor got redeemed  
> -Allura and Lotor left the rift together  
> -Lance's family's last name is Ortiz bc...I am Latina and the name McClain is not

Something in him had changed.

Even after pulling him out of the rift, Lotor seemed  _wrong_.

Allura was far too tired to try and rehabilitate him after being in the rift with him and Honerva. There, he had talked to her like an acquaintance, seemingly having no memory of their romantic time together. Once their work was done, they walked back into their home universe hand-in-hand, but as soon as they were through the wormhole, he began digging his claws into her hand and snarling. Flecks of foam flew from the corners of his mouth as he shoved her away and made a run for it. After only a few paces, he fell on his face, completely unconscious. It took him weeks to even stand again, and he would drop to all fours and back himself into a wall when Allura drew near, growling or baring his teeth. He refused to speak even once he was fully physically recovered. 

Allura left him on Lance's farm after their return because she knew that the soft grass under his feet and the gentle peeps of baby chicks would calm him. She was right; he started to return to his normal self. His eyebrows and lips gave way to emotion once in a while, a small smile or a sassy eyebrow raise when Lance tried to cheer him up with a joke or when Coran started rambling to him about Altean history. The only time his smile disappeared completely was when Allura visited. He would sit in a patch of juniberries and watch her every move with an unblinking indigo stare. It didn't scare her, but it certainly made her feel self-conscious.

"I can't wait to get out of here." Lance leaned back against a tree. "I love helping my family out, but I just need to take a few more classes to become an instructor for the Garrison." He noticed that Allura seemed distracted, and looked between her and Lotor a couple of times. "Don't worry about him. He's doing really good here. Right, buddy?" He looked back Lotor, who was still staring daggers at her while pulling the petals off of a juniberry.

"I have no idea why he hates me." Allura sighed. "We weren't close in the rift, but he didn't...attack me, or anything. That was only after we left." She broke eye contact with Lotor and looked back at Lance, who had a beyond worried expression on his face. Allura felt embarrassed more than anything; she should've let Lotor go weeks ago when he held her down and tried to rip her throat out, and everyone kept telling her that.

"I mean..." Lance bit his lip. "Pidge said that he  _seems_ to have memory of the rest of us, but there's something about you specifically that's holding him back. The other day he shoved me into the pigpen and then put his hand over his mouth like he was laughing." He laughed. Allura couldn't help but smile; her Lotor was still in there somewhere, and she wouldn't stop until he came back.

"Would it be alright if I had some time alone with him?" Allura asked, her fingers digging into the grass nervously. Lance seemed concerned, but nodded slowly and pushed himself up with his rake.

"For sure. Just yell if you need anything, okay? Me and my papá will stay close." He helped Allura up with a smile. "Good luck, Princess." Lance walked over to Lotor and said something just out of earshot, and Lotor initially reeled back with a look of horror on his face. He slowly relaxed and took Lance's hand, standing up slowly, but hunched over as though in pain. Lance smiled and patted Lotor's back, pushing him in Allura's direction. She took a few steps forward and Lance walked around behind the chicken coop. The two met in the center of the patch of juniberries, with Lotor staying a few paces back.

"Do you remember me?" Allura asked. No response, no change in expression on Lotor's end. "We were...allies. We were going to right the wrongs of your family. Then things went wrong, and I didn't understand, and I judged you too harshly. And I've apologized for this countless times, and you still don't seem to understand..." She sighed. "Can you even understand anymore? Or did the rift remove any memory of language?" Lotor scowled and crossed his arms. "Or maybe you do understand. Gods, I feel like I'm talking to an angry wall." Allura pressed her fingertips to her brow.

Lotor started walking toward Allura, bare feet digging into the dirt. He extended his arms and instead of recoiling like every time before, Allura spread her arms, accepting whatever fate he deemed hers. Claws dug into her shoulders not with anger, but with weakness as Lotor leaned into her. He pulled back and glared, his nose mere centimeters from hers.

"Do whatever you must to feel better." Allura stood firm, planting her heels into the ground. She put both hands against Lotor's chest, not to push him back, but because it could be the only chance she had to touch him again. Lotor held on and opened his mouth a few times as though he wanted to speak, but all Allura could focus on were his razor-sharp fangs gleaming in the afternoon sun. He suddenly shoved her back and turned away, crossing his arms across his chest like he was hugging himself.

"You," He whimpered, "You hurt me." Allura perked at the sound of his voice; she hadn't heard his soft Galran accent in months, and hadn't realized how much she'd missed it until that exact moment. His pained inflection sent shivers down her spine and a cold knot developed in her chest.

"How did I hurt you?" She reached her hand out for his shoulder, but Lotor slapped it away, teeth bared.

"You left me." He snarled. "I was alone. I was terrified. It hurt." Although he could talk, it seemed like he couldn't make sentences with more than a couple words at a time. "You left me. You _left_ me!" He squinted, chest heaving as his anger rose.

"Lotor, I..." Allura sighed. "I had to leave. You were too far gone from quintessence exposure. Even if I had pulled you out, you wouldn't have been the same." Lotor lifted his chin, making their height difference even more apparent.

"I missed you." He used one of his claws to brush a lock of hair out of his face. "I waited. You never came. Honerva did." Lotor bent down to look Allura straight in the face. He grabbed her shoulders again and pulled her close in a quick flash, making her stumble. His fingertips pressed against her jaw, locking her in place. She fought every urge to shove him back or kiss him. He didn't seem like he wanted to be  _her_ Lotor anymore, and she feared what could happen if she instigated a fight.

"I'm sorry." Allura reached under his arms and took his face in her hands, mirroring him. "I thought you were near death. I'm sorry I didn't believe you about the colony. I made a mistake —" Lotor cut her off by drawing her in and kissing her. Her eyes snapped fully open, but his were shut, almost blissfully as he pulled her body into his. He pulled his head back and bared his teeth again, but this time was different. Something primal was behind that look.

"I missed you." He repeated in a low growl. Allura was pushed back and left alone in the field as he stalked off towards the Ortiz family's barn, where they had pulled together a room for him in the loft area. She pressed her fingers to her lips, which were slightly swollen from the force of his kiss.

Well, that was interesting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fic is relatively unplanned rn, so expect updates to be a little unplanned as well. I will keep you all updated on Twitter @CorporisAuratus and feel free to DM me there and yell at me to stop being lazy if I go more than a couple weeks without updating!


	2. Chapter 2

"Did you really think I'd forget, Princess?" A clawed hand wrapped itself around Allura's throat from behind, pulling her back into a scorching-hot chest that burned her back through her clothes. "You really are just a naive little thing, aren't you?" His deep laugh echoed around her and threatened his next moves. Allura wrenched out of his grip and turned to face him. Lotor's hair messily fell across his shoulders, filled with tangles and knots. The bags under his eyes were black and heavy. He stood to his full height and grinned wickedly.

"Don't come any closer!" Allura scowled. "You aren't real!" Lotor laughed again and lowered his head to be even with hers.

"But I feel real, don't I?" He pushed forward. "I remember how _real_ I felt when my very essence was torn apart in that white abyss; how it felt to have quintessence replace every single cell in my body with one of its own. I remember waiting for you, every single second tugging me further down into that special version of Hell." Lotor drew back again and took Allura's face in his hands, cupping her cheeks forcefully as his claws dug into her skin. "It would show you to me, sometimes. The worst was when you were just...floating, blood spreading out of your nose and mouth, pale hands reaching toward my Sincline..." Lotor sighed and shoved Allura away, sending her down a deep, white, star-laden tunnel until she woke up with a start in her bed.

All of her covers and pillows sat on the ground at various distances from the bed, and under her sleepwear Allura was drenched in sweat. She pushed herself up and sighed; it had been two weeks since her last visit to the Ortiz residence after numerous humanitarian visits and meetings. Perhaps the stress of being a diplomat was getting the best of her; she couldn't let Lotor know that.

She exited the guest bedroom and turned down the hall. Thankfully, Lotor was still in the barn and was known to sleep in, so she had time before their second meeting. The smell of eggs and bacon wafted up the stairs, but Allura couldn't even force herself to be hungry. Her nightmare haunted her while she showered and brushed her teeth. While she rubbed a thin layer of lotion on her face, a gentle knock came through the door.

"Allura?" Lance's voice rang clear. Allura tightened her towel and opened the door. "Whoa! Sorry, I..." Lance averted his eyes nervously. Although their short-lived relationship had ended on good terms, and they had both moved on to other interests, their friendship carried some of the leftover awkwardness. Lance cleared his throat and looked back at Allura with a smile. "I didn't realize you weren't dressed. My bad. I'll just...come back later."

"Don't worry about it. What do you need?" Allura leaned back on the counter as Lance entered and closed the door behind him. "I didn't realize this was a private conversation." She teased, crossing her arms.

"I just don't want the kids to hear anything and start repeating it." Lance laughed uncomfortably and leaned on the wall across from Allura. "Lotor's awake. I think he knows you're here, too. He seems more broody than usual." Allura frowned; she'd landed her small spacecraft half a mile away in the woods and walked to the McClain house at near-midnight to avoid exactly that. Upsetting him before he'd even laid eyes on her wasn't on her agenda.

"Perhaps I should stay inside the house, then." She avoided Lance's eye contact, but when he reached forward to give her arm a reassuring squeeze, she felt obligated to look up again.

"You came to visit him, _Llura_." Allura grinned at his family's nickname for her: pronounced yoo-ruh, it was apparently a Spanish pronunciation of her name. "He's outside with the kids. Just...talk slowly and don't raise your voice. He's not dangerous anymore." Lance pushed off the wall and gripped the doorknob. "Good luck."

"Thanks." Allura's heart dropped as Lance left her alone in the bathroom.

When she finished getting ready and exited the farmhouse, she was immediately met with one of the most beautiful scenes she'd seen in decaphoebs. Lotor, hair braided with juniberries and long blades of grass woven in, bending down to dance with Lance's niece, Nadia. A grin was plastered on the little girl's face as he twirled her before picking her up for a hug. Allura took one step forward and the proverbial twig snapped; Lotor's head swiveled around, and although he kept a smile on his lips for Nadia, his eyes filled with revulsion. He set the girl down and made a few clunky signs with his hands; Nadia had issues hearing, so she had been teaching him basic sign language, which helped him to communicate with the rest of the McClain family without his voice. The girl signed back a quick farewell and waved at Allura before running to the house.

"Hello, Lotor." Unlike last time, Allura relaxed. Perhaps if she acted as though nothing was wrong, Lotor would be slower to anger. His pointed ears lowered with frustration, and his shoulders worked up around his neck with disgust. "My apologies for interrupting your time with Nadia. It's obvious that she adores you." That comment seemed to relax him slightly and dim the fire behind his eyes. He pulled his braid around from his back and examined the soft pink flowers adorning it. A smile teased his lips, but disappeared when he looked up at Allura again.

"Indeed." Lotor hissed. Allura bit her lip nervously and twined her fingers together. He walked up to her, and she braced herself for whatever came next. His hands pulled hers apart and he squeezed his thumbs firmly into her palms. Allura winced as his well-sharpened claws pierced her skin, drawing small wells of blood, but didn't pull away. He brought her right hand closer and lapped the droplet of blood away with a rough tongue. A quiet groan vibrated low in his throat as he dropped both of her hands and fluttered his eyes shut.

"What was the purpose of that?" Allura asked, examining the shallow cuts on her palms. Lotor growled quietly and bared his teeth, and the look on his face made Allura take a nervous step back.

"Remember." He snarled.

And oh, did Allura remember: a quiet evening in the Castle of Lions, her and Lotor coming across a 10,000 year old bottle of Altean liqueur, his sharp teeth sucking her skin hard enough to draw blood, and a single, quiet command.

"Remember this. Remember _me_." His voice sounded whole in her memory, not the weak, broken one that the Lotor in front of her had to use all of his energy to summon. She remembered Lotor giggling as she flipped him on his back and wiped her blood off the corners of his lips, their countless promises to never leave each other even when things looked grim, and kissing him in the dim light of the ship's simulated nighttime.

"I remember." Allura whimpered. Lotor bowed his head and looked at her bloody palms.

"Come with me." Lotor's voice was already starting to crack, straining after months of barely being used. Allura realized it wasn't a choice as he grabbed her wrist and pulled her toward the barn. The gentle sway of his hips and his braid dancing back and forth on his well-fit shirt transfixed her; she wondered how she'd forgotten how effortlessly beautiful he was, even when he was dragging her into a barn, most likely to kill her and hide the body in a pile of hay. No, Lotor wouldn't do that. He wasn't heartless, and had never been. Everything he'd done was a direct result of his abhorrent parentage.

They entered the barn and Lotor pulled Allura up a set of creaky wooden stairs to his loft. It was cleaned up perfectly, with every trace of an animal or hay bale completely gone. Lotor's bed was neatly made, with neat periwinkle sheets, a thin comforter, and one of Nadia's old baby blankets that she'd given him during one of his numerous panic episodes since leaving the rift. Allura's heart ached; she remembered the time after he'd passed out, just after leaving the rift. When he woke up, screams ripped from the depths of his chest as he clutched his head, tears streaming down his face. Allura had to leave the room for fear of breaking down herself in front of the Garrison officials and medics restraining him, and Lotor leaping up to rip her throat out at one point hadn't helped.

"Lance did this." Lotor made a sweeping gesture across the room, indicating that Lance had completely set it up for him. Allura spotted a small framed photo of herself on the secondhand dresser that Lance and Keith had likely hauled up from the old house. She walked to it and picked it up, trying her best not to smile too brightly. It was taken in front of the Sincline, and depicted her blowing a kiss at the camera. Lotor's breath was sudden and hot on the side of her neck as his head came to hover an inch above her shoulder, his hand reaching close around her chest to take the photo out of her hands.

"You let him put that there?" She asked.

"Still mad at you." Lotor set it on the dresser face-down. "Dance with me." He took her hand in his and spun her away from the photo and into his chest. Allura obliged and placed her hand on his shoulder tentatively. Under one of Luis' old baggy shirts, Lotor barely fit, and every curve of muscle was completely palpable. She didn't know what he was up to, but she'd indulge while she could. Lotor pulled her waist in sharply and led quickly into an old Altean waltz that Allura remembered watching her mother and father do at dinner parties. She closed her eyes and let the memory of the music lead her, along with Lotor's stiff hands that practically screamed with hatred. However, for whatever reason, he wanted to dance with her, and she hoped that it would be the beginning of their reconciliation.

"I haven't danced like this in so long." Allura mused, letting Lotor twirl her and pull her back in, her nose brushing against the cleavage of his chest before drawing back again and starting the steps over. "My father would have me stand on top of his boots when I was just a little girl and pull me all across the ballroom floor." That elicited a dark laugh from Lotor, who picked up the pace. Allura struggled to keep up for a moment, but quickly fell back in step with the Galran Emperor. He stopped on a dime and twirled her one last time before pulling her in and wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Why did you leave?" Lotor's voice was soft this time, and a dreamy glow had replaced the rage in his eyes. "It hurt so much. I waited so long." He pushed her back and grimaced. "Get out."

"No." Allura planted her heels firmly. "Lotor, I...I explained this. You were sick with quintessence. I tried to go after you but we all would have perished if Voltron didn't leave." Lotor shook his head and growled.

"Remember." He turned away. "And get out."

Allura descended the steps and walked back to the farmhouse without another word.

* * *

"Baby, I'm here!" Keith called, and he dropped his bags as Lance came bolting down the stairs and leapt into his arms, wrapping his legs around his boyfriend's waist and sending him off balance. Allura looked away absentmindedly from the living room couch as Lance placed kisses along Keith's cheekbones and forehead. After a few minutes of reuniting, Lance ran back upstairs to finish helping Nadia with her homework and Keith settled on an armchair next to Allura. His features had become much more Galran since she'd met him. His canines were noticeably longer than the rest of his teeth, his sclera were yellowed, violet streaks of hair intertwined with his natural black at the nape of his neck, and his skin looked lavender-tinted.

Allura could see Kosmo, now six feet tall at the shoulder, romping in the grass outside the farmhouse. He was too large to fit through the front door, so he usually slept in the lower level of the retired barn when he visited, just under Lotor. Keith sighed and closed his eyes for a moment before turning to Allura and smiling.

"How are you, Llura?" He'd taken to using the McClains' nickname for her as well, and it warmed her heart to hear his voice again.

"I've been better." She leaned back into the well-worn cushions. "It's always nice to visit, but Lotor giving me the cold shoulder is...less than ideal." Keith laughed softly and shrugged.

"It's tough to understand. Galra...we're good at holding grudges. It's like it's in our DNA." He rubbed the hilt of his blade, which was still by his side despite being in his boyfriend's family's house. Keith was always prepared for battle; a trait carried over from their days as Voltron pilots. "And we  _did_ leave him in the rift to die." Allura shot him a glare, and he shrugged again. "I'm right."

"I can't imagine how he must feel. His only friends left him for dead in the same location that corrupted his parents." Allura pushed her hair out of her face and groaned. "But don't let me depress you, go be with Lance." Keith shook his head and clasped her hand in his.

"Part of the reason I'm taking the next couple days off is to visit you, too. As much as the Blade loves Lance, a diplomatic meeting with the Princess of Altea is a much more compelling reason to take a sick day. And we're friends, I guess." The two laughed, and Allura felt her stress melt away. "When's your coronation as Empress?" And there it was again.

"Don't even talk about it." Allura raised her free hand and grimaced. "I refuse to rule until Lotor can alongside me. Coran and Romelle are doing a fine job reorganizing the Alteans from the colony for now." Their main focus was setting up a capital city with the help of the Blade to provide food and water while infrastructure was built, usually by repurposed Galran sentries to minimize casualties. Allura's run as Empress would have to wait until her subjects were settled and comfortable, and she fully accepted that. If, and hopefully when, she could reconcile with Lotor, she planned to ask him to rule Altea with her, as Krolia and Kolivan were capable of running the Galran Empire by themselves.

"Yeah." Keith sounded shaky. "Do...do you want _me_ to talk to him? I learned a few words in Galran and...wanted to practice anyways!" Allura knew that Keith was just making up an obvious excuse to help her, but she appreciated his attempt to conceal his worry. He was just a terrible liar.

"Do whatever you feel is best." Allura sighed. "I don't know how to proceed with him anymore. Every time we take a step forward we end up falling backward." Keith squeezed her hand before standing up.

"I'll go say hi before me and Lance go out." He smiled, and Allura could see how much he'd warmed up since he and Lance had started dating a few months prior. They had gone on their first date while she was still in the rift, and she'd eternally curse not being there to congratulate them. Her and Lance's romance, if one could even call it that, had been so short-lived and uneventful that Keith never registered her as a threat, and she appreciated his friendship more than almost anything. The two had become close during their time on diplomatic trips to struggling planets, offering the assistance of both Altea and the Galra. Allura couldn't help but feel like they were echoing her father and Zarkon in their early days, and knew that they wouldn't share the same fate as their predecessors.

Keith left the house and walked with Kosmo towards the barn, leaving Allura to lay by herself and pull a blanket over her legs and chest. She closed her eyes and drifted to sleep, not even waking when Lance and Keith came back from their date, tipsy, knocking into furniture, and talking just a little too loud to be whispering.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BOY this chapter was like twice as long as the first one consistency WHO
> 
> Anyways follow my Twitter @CorporisAuratus for updates and my little daily posts about VLD and other fandoms ^.^


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did my best to make Lance's family sound Cuban, but I might have screwed up a little because I'm Costa Rican which has slightly different inflection and dialect, plus my Spanish is rusty af. I'm using the last name "Ortiz" for them as well instead of McClain bc...Cuba and Ireland are very far away from each other. ALSO, I do not know ASL, so if I phrased anything wrong, please let me know! I did my best to Google but alas, Google only gets us so far.
> 
> Any Galran language is translated at the end :) 
> 
> (If it's not super clear, this chapter takes place while Allura is taking her nap)

"Zahtyr Lotor, ma norka. Hos da..." Keith squinted, "Ma?" Lotor laughed at Keith's attempt to speak Galran. The two had never talked much, but it was nice to know another half-Galra, or so Keith thought. Sure, he had Zethrid, Ezor, and Acxa, but they were all hybrids with aliens that were...very non-human, to say the least. Apparently, Zethrid's mother's race was a small, isolated tribe of tall, stocky, furred beings with wings stretched between their arms and legs for gliding between trees. Keith had _no_ idea how to relate to that. Lotor, being half Altean, felt more like someone he could understand, not quite human per se but also not quite Galran.

"Ma norka, Asaaggar Keith." Lotor strained out, his voice cracking on the tail end of Keith's name after struggling through his title. "De his ma." He looked pleased to speak Galra, and Keith quietly cursed not listening to Kolivan during one of his myriad lectures about vocabulary and proper inflection. Anything he knew was for bare necessity, usually for when he spoke to more isolated groups of displaced Galra.

"It's good to see you again." Keith decided to switch to English to save himself the embarrassment. He noticed Lotor's flowery braid, but decided not to comment on it.

"Likewise." Lotor smirked. He raised his eyebrows and dipped his chin, and Keith recognized that Lotor was waiting for him to start talking. Of course; the Emperor could barely form three words, so why on Earth should he have to do the talking? Keith mentally facepalmed. Lance had filled him in the night before on how to act — talk slow, no harsh movements, and no condescension. Lotor, however, didn't appear as weak as Lance described, still standing around 6'6 and lithe as ever, the slight smirk on his face still sending the same message it always did: _try me_.

"The Blade is doing well on their missions, as of late. My mother and Kolivan are...leading the Galra now, I guess." Lotor tilted his head, confused. "Yeah, I know, I know. Everyone wanted me to lead, but," Keith sighed, "It's just not for me."

"Da hos y Asaaggar nan Voltron." Lotor snapped, his voice suddenly clear as day. "Da hos y vrepmyza." He put one hand on his hip and flipped his hair back with a flick of his chin; he wasn't amused with Keith's reluctance to take over the Galran Empire. Keith knew he was qualified to lead — everyone did, and his mother constantly chided him for turning down a leadership role. He didn't want that responsibility, especially considering that he didn't even know about his Galra heritage until he was seventeen. Lotor's deep, dark-eyed stare, however, made Keith second guess himself and feel like his stomach had been flipped upside down. Although there was nothing to be afraid of, it still wasn't pleasant to look down the barrel of the _son of Zarkon's_ gaze.

"I appreciate that, but the answer is still no." Keith patted Lotor's arm and softened the taller man's glare. He'd gotten much touchier since he started dating Lance, but he didn't mind. Often, it was an easier way to communicate than through words, which he had never been good at. "And this isn't why I came out here." Lotor's upper lip raised in contempt, and Keith took a single step back

"Allura sent you." He muttered.

"No, Allura didn't send me. I sent myself." Keith shot back. Lotor's glare surprisingly dissolved, a mischievous sneer teasing at the edges of his eyes and lips. He was the hunter, Keith was the unlucky doe. His footsteps were soft crunches of grass as he silently walked behind Keith. His claws deftly pulled strands of hair from Keith's face behind his ears and into a low ponytail. Keith didn't dare move as Lotor's lengthy fingers stretched an elastic around his hair three times and pulled it tight. The Emperor's touch was electric, not romantically nor sexually, but from the sheer power of the quintessence that had corrupted his veins since before he was born. Keith knew that although the gesture itself was friendly, it was more a warning than anything. Lotor's hands, gentle in that moment, could easily wrap around Keith's throat and tear him apart before he could gasp.

"Don't lie." Lotor's voice fluttered into Keith's left ear as he combed through the tangled locks with his hand.

"Fine. Lance did. He's worried about you." Keith stepped away from Lotor and turned around to face him. "And Allura. You two need to talk this out — or," Keith bit his lip, "I guess let her do the talking until you're feeling better." Lotor narrowed his eyes.

"She betrayed me." He growled. "You all did."

"I know you and I didn't get along well back then. But things are different now. And yeah, we fucked up, but we came back for you. Daibazaal and Altea are back. Zarkon and Honerva are gone. We fixed what we could." Keith gave a defeated shrug. "And if that isn't good enough for you, I'm sorry. And I'm sorry we fucked up in the first place. But every day, and I mean every day since we left you, she never stopped talking about you. She hated us for leaving you. Her going on two dates with Lance was her trying to forget you, and obviously it didn't work. I know you might be done with her, but she at least deserves some kind of closure. You know she does." He was surprised when he felt tears forming in his eyes. Keith wasn't used to driving himself to tears, especially when what he was talking about didn't involve him at all. Lotor's lips parted slightly before he placed his hand on his brow, closing his eyes. He placed his free hand on Keith's shoulder and squeezed.

"Lead the Galra." Lotor exhaled slowly. "They need you."

"Keith, you ready?" Lance called from outside the front door. Keith turned around briefly and held up his forefinger;  _just a second._

"Think about what I said. Vrepit sa." He gripped Lotor's shoulder in response, a common sign of respect between Galran officials. As he parted to join Lance, Lotor opened his eyes again and watched the two board Keith's small cruiser. Keith got on first and held out his hand for Lance, who pretended to be shocked before doing a curtsy and taking his boyfriend's hand. Lotor couldn't help but chuckle at the sight. He'd grown fond of Lance after living with him for a couple months; although the Paladin teased and bothered him to no end, there was something to love about his bright spirit. Lotor wished he could be so happy after the life he'd lived thus far.

* * *

Around half an hour after Keith and Lance's departure, Lotor felt pangs of hunger taking hold. He didn't eat as often as his human companions, but Lance or was always gracious enough to bring him a plate before the rest of the Ortiz family ate. With Lance gone, Lotor decided to walk to the farmhouse himself. He usually stayed away, knowing that he intimidated Lance's mother, Celia, with his stature alone. Plus, Luis, Lisa, the kids, and Allura were all visiting, so it was crowded enough without him.

Lotor slowly pulled the door open and gave Kosmo a pat on the head; the space wolf enjoyed guarding the entrance. He stepped through and looked around. The air conditioning was running heavily to combat the hot summer sun, and Lotor prickled from the sudden temperature change. Unlike a thinner-skinned being, like a human or Altean, Lotor could handle the heat, but he hated feeling cold. The quintessence field, although bright enough to blind him at times, had been ever so _slightly_ too cool for his liking. He shook it off and noticed a pair of round blue eyes peeking out of the kitchen.

"Hello." Lotor grinned as Nadia ran to him and wrapped her arms around his legs in her best attempt to hug him. When she let go, Lotor signed, 'What's for dinner?'

'Ropa vieja and Moros y Cristianos.' Nadia spelled out the Spanish, as she only knew ASL, but Lotor was still confused. He'd done his best to learn the Latin alphabet, both written and signed, but he struggled between languages. He tilted his head, and Nadia giggled. 'Shredded beef and rice and beans, gringo.' She spelled G-R-I-N-G-O slowly for emphasis. Lotor still had no clue what a gringo was after being endlessly called one by the members of Lance's family. Nadia turned and ran back into the kitchen, where she was greeted by Celia's distant voice.

"Welcome back, mi cariña!" The girl's grandmother chimed. Lotor picked up a familiar scent and turned to his right, where he saw Allura sleeping on the couch. The hair on the back of his neck stood at attention, and he felt himself instinctively flare his nostrils into a snarl. He took a few steps closer, careful not to wake her. She breathed quietly, so quietly that even Lotor could barely hear it. He knelt next to her unconscious form and pulled her blanket up over her chest; at least one of them should feel warm, he thought. Plus, Keith _did_ have a point. Allura had been through almost as much as he had in the past two years. She deserved to rest, if nothing else.

"Lotor." An unfriendly voice hissed behind him. Lotor's head swiveled immediately to focus on Veronica, who was blocking the entrance to the living room, arms crossed. She must have coordinated a surprise visit from the Garrison for the weekend. "Step away from the Princess." He gently pushed a lock of Allura's hair off of her forehead before he stood and walked towards Veronica, stopping only two paces in front of her. Lance's sister had every reason to hate him; she was dating Acxa, who despised him more than almost anyone. "Now get out."

'I'm hungry.' Lotor signed, frowning.

"Fine. Get your food, _then_ get out." Veronica backed out of the living room and made her way towards the kitchen. "Mamá, Lotor está aquí. He needs a plate." She went up the stairs, likely to her guest room. Celia's head poked out of the kitchen, and she smiled, but Lotor could smell fear behind that look. He dropped his shoulders and crossed his arms to cover his broad chest; he hated making Lance's family uncomfortable.

"Locitor, dear, I'm so sorry you had to come all this way. You must be hungry!" Celia beamed. Lotor nodded. "Well, come here. I only need a few more minutes. You can eat with us, if you want. It's just going to be me, you, Nadia, Sylvio, and Veronica." Lotor hid his disappointment when Veronica was named and nodded again. Celia beckoned him into the kitchen with her hand, and he followed, ducking through the entrance. She took his wrist and pulled him towards one of the counters. "My Luis and Lisa gave me this slow cooker for Christmas last year and it makes the _best_ ropa vieja. Take a look. Oh, and look at your pretty hair!" She took the lid off and Lotor was hit with the heavy scent of cumin and cilantro. His mouth started watering to the point where he feared it dripping into the dish, but Celia put the lid back on before that happened.

"Abuela, can Lotor sit with us?" Sylvio called from the smaller kids' table. Celia giggled and patted Lotor's arm absentmindedly.

"I'm sorry mijo, I think he's a _little_ too big for that." She mused. "Go ahead and sit at the _adult's_ table, Locitor. I'm just finishing up." Lotor heeded her command and sat in the spot he knew was Lance's; the man's distant smell of lavender shampoo clung heavily to the back of the dining chair. After he sat down, he turned around and stuck his tongue out at the kids, who both mirrored it back. Celia brought two plates of food to the kids before serving Lotor. After dropping his plate off, she walked to the stairs. "Veronica, estás lista?"

"Sí, Mamá!" Veronica called back. Celia rushed back into the kitchen, put a plate together for Veronica, put one together for herself, and finally sat at the kitchen table. Veronica came down the stairs and immediately grimaced. "Why is he eating in here?"

"Veronica," Celia hissed, "He is our guest." Veronica rolled her eyes as she walked into the kitchen, grabbed her plate, and sat down. She looked to Celia at the head of the table, then slowly shifted her gaze to Lotor directly across from her. It was strange, having only three people sitting at the head of a dining table intended for twelve. Lotor wished that literally anyone else had stayed.

"Where are Luis and Lisa?" Veronica asked, not breaking eye contact nor blinking. Lotor leaned forward onto the table, easily taking up twice as much space horizontally as she did. He had no idea why he was posturing in the first place; Veronica posed no obvious threat to him. She was tall, but she was as thin as a rail. There was something about her attitude that made him want to let loose his inhibitions and prove her  _right_ about him being a monster, but he refrained. It wasn't who he was trying to be anymore.

"They're out, dear. At that baseball game with Papá." Celia didn't seem to notice the growing tension across the table.

"And Keith and Lance?" Veronica stabbed through a strip of beef, still staring Lotor in the face. She brought it to her lips and took a slow bite. Lotor mirrored her, although his bite was much larger than hers.

"They're out, too. But isn't it nice to be just the five of us? So quiet for once." Celia had one elbow leaned on the table, and she was looking behind Lotor at Nadia and Sylvio with a soft grin on her face while they signed back and forth at each other between bites.

"Indeed." Lotor rasped, raising an eyebrow at Veronica. Speaking to Keith earlier had left his throat locked up and raw. Celia perked up immediately and nearly knocked her glass of water off of the table in shock.

"Locitor, you can talk?" She breathed. Veronica looked equally surprised, losing her previous intimidating demeanor in an instant.

"Just a bit." Lotor squeaked out. Celia erupted into a giggle and placed her hand over her mouth.

"You have such a lovely voice!" She chimed. Veronica rolled her eyes yet again and took a bite of food. "You sound like...oh, Veronica, who's the one who plays Sherlock?"

"Mamá, he does  _not_ sound like Benedict Cumberbatch." Veronica groaned. Lotor's eyes flicked back and forth as Veronica and Celia began arguing about how deep this human actor's voice was, how much of a 'British' accent he had, and whether or not Galran was comparable in any way to the way that people in 'England' speak. He couldn't help but smile seeing them being so unashamedly... _human_. In his childhood, there was no dinner table for him and his parents to converse. Instead, he and Dayak ate together on the floor of his room while he was forced to sit with perfect posture the entire time. "Lotor, say something again." Veronica's voice snapped him out of his train of thought. For once, her tone wasn't cold and brutal, but instead she was giving a simple command to settle a petty argument.

"Um..." He felt two very wide pairs of eyes trained on his mouth. Veronica looked surprisingly tame compared to just two minutes before. Lotor smirked before turning to her and saying, "Yoza, ma’vrexit, yllen ga." Both women looked at each other; understandably, Galran sounded like a guttural mess of noises to them.

"What an...interesting language!" Celia was clearly trying her best to not offend him, and that small glint of fear had returned to her eyes. Lotor shrank into his chair, finally allowing Veronica to be the dominant physical presence in the room. He couldn't explain to himself  _why_ he hated when people looked at him with fear, but that didn't change the fact that a knot of self-disgust was growing in his stomach.

"Well, I'm done." Veronica, either in a moment of grace or contempt, visibly wanted to leave the situation as soon as possible. She stood up, set her plate in the sink, and vanished up the stairs. Celia sighed and took her last bite before reaching across the table and setting her hand on Lotor's wrist.

"Don't worry about her, Locitor. She's just upset for Acxa." She looked at the table and took a few breaths, lost in thought. "I don't know what happened between you and her, but listen. From what Veronica has told me, it sounds like you and Axca were family once. You should try to reconcile before it's too late. We're nothing without family." Celia took their empty plates and walked them back to the kitchen. Lotor leaned onto the table and let out a deep, solemn sigh. The hair that Nadia had braided fell forward over his shoulder. He frowned at the now-wilting flowers and grass spikes and made a note to brush through his hair before going to bed.

While Celia washed dishes, he made a quiet exit out the back door. Kosmo ran around to greet him, butting his head against his chest. He rubbed the space wolf behind his ears and walked with him through the beds of juniberries surrounding the house. Normally, baby chicks would be underfoot, but Lance had locked them all in the coop knowing that the wolf would torment them to no end if he didn't.

"Come, now." Lotor tipped his chin towards the barn. He took one last look at the house and inhaled deeply.  _Let's get out of their way._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Galra language I used here was created by @voltronrising on Tumblr!
> 
> Keith to Lotor: "Emperor Lotor, good afternoon. Are you..." "Good?"
> 
> Lotor to Keith: "Good afternoon, Paladin Keith." "I am good."
> 
> Lotor to Keith: "You are a Paladin of Voltron." "You are a champion."
> 
> Lotor to Veronica: "Hello, goodbye, get fucked."


End file.
